AOL Buys Huffington Post

As a writer and DealPro in the online space, it's always interesting to monitor the major developments on the web.  One of the more interesting things about the Super Bowl ads was the ads for websites like Groupon or the new media venture, The Daily.  Today there's news that AOL bought the Huffington Post for $315 million.  Though AOL might've spawned movies like "You've Got Mail," it's hardly the major player it once was. 

So what's this mean for AOL, and, really, for the future of the internet?

First off, if you're a Huffington Post reader, this merger has more to do with the future of AOL than it does HuffPo.  The Huffington Post itself will likely stay the same.  According to the New York Times, this is about AOL's content reach:

It will give AOL, which up until now has been a big blob of content, a legacy of its days as a portal, a unique identity and perspective. Now in addition to tech sites like TechCrunch and Endgadget, AOL will have a huge brand name in politics and a new editorial director in Ms. Huffington who has has show an ability not only to engage audiences, but to build community and get the visitors to generate content as well.

However, what if you're a hater of the Huffington Post?  HuffPo was designed as a counter to the right-leaning Drudge Report, so there are some on the right who might see this as AOL becoming a purveyor of liberal content.  As someone who reads HuffPo more than the Drudge Report, even I think there are questions about this merger, as journalism should be as non-biased as possible.  What has made HuffPo so popular, however, is not just the political reporting but the other sorts of celeb-based news that really has no political slant whatsoever.

Still, HuffPo is heavy on politics so this does raise some questions.  MarketWatch asks:

Will AOL...let HuffPo continue along such a one-sided path or will the new owner seek to rein in the blog in the interest of objective journalism?

Of course, if AOL does try to soften the strident talk, then HuffPo suddenly diminishes in value. Its readers love it because they're getting what they want--a strong, outspoken force to counter the well organized and well funded conservative movement in the media.

Personally, I don't see the merger of opinion and fact-based news as a great leap forward--even if it's an opinion I support. It's pretty likely that Arianna Huffington entered this deal with the knowledge that this wouldn't diminish the brand that she's created.  So it's possible you are going to be seeing slanted coverage on the AOL frontpage.  Given that, it almost makes it seem as if AOL is aiming at becoming the web-based version of Fox News:  A media empire that caters to one political party.

As AOL had lost its "voice" in recent years, this could help resurrect the brand, but you have to imagine some people on the right jumping ship.

When you break it down, one of the most amazing features of this buy-out is this:  A blog sold for $315 million dollars.  A blog.  In a few short years HuffPo has come to rival and eclipse major media brands.  This is really good news, as HuffPo is more of a democratic platform than other kinds of media, such as the New York Times, as users can apply to be writers and are more likely to be part of the HuffPo stream.  It's an example of how online content is very much created by "the people." It just could be a problem if that that democratic platform is slanted entirely in one direction. 

What do you think?  Are you a HuffPo reader?  Do you like this merger of media empires?